A Bluetooth device typically requires the user to set up a paired connection with a remote device before the devices can exchange information. Setting up this connection requires an authentication phase, whereby the user may be required to enter a password or personal identification number (PIN) to register the remote device in each device's table of paired devices. For example, cellular mobile phones may require the user to manually enter a PIN before the phone will pair with a remote headset. As a result, the user must enter a PIN every time it is desired to connect with a new device that is encountered.
The number of remote devices that the user's Bluetooth device can pair with is limited, with a Bluetooth Master device able to pair with a maximum of seven Bluetooth Slave devices in a piconet, as described in the Bluetooth Specification. In multipoint operation, a Bluetooth device may pair with up to three devices. These pairing relationships are intended to be fairly static, changing infrequently. Bluetooth users often find the pairing process to be time consuming and inconvenient. As a result, improved methods and apparatuses for Bluetooth communications are needed.